Posted via email from 2M :: REAX

See, there's several ways for Joe Citizen to enjoy himself some music when he leaves the house in the evening. In what 'mode' he ends up consuming music that night depends partly on his tastes and partly on social constructs and venue requirements. But we know he probably won't catch a symphony at a loft party, a rock band on the corner, a solo sax in the dance club, or a performance art piece at the corner bar. And more than likely he won't even get out of his comfort zone at all.

To this end DJ's were created, and this was good. Any music you want anywhere you want it is the promise. Musical taste gatekeepers blah blah. Some musicians hold a confrontational attitude towards DJ's, and from a purely financial perspective, they are fighting over the same beer markups so it's understandable. But ultimately those that love the music are at least as important as those who make the music, so DJ's became important parts of the music ecology.

In our categorization of everything we have put musicians on one side and DJ's on the other, but this masks the fact that the best of each share many qualities. More on that in a minute.

Eventually our technology and transparency led us to this postmodern moment of 'so, what's new anymore?'. And if it's new and cool, I already downloaded that, wiki'ed that, googled that, and I feel like I know all about that... that thing you just told me about. Which I will then forget about quicker than I 'interlearned' it.

So where does Headtronics fit into this? Several angles (this is a rant after all!). DJ's do a set ultimately to keep people dancing / zoning out / losing their blues from their day. They change tempo if and when needed, leave no dead air, do not focus on a piece but on the whole. A great DJ does alot of things during a great set. Musicians do a set to play each piece to it's fullest, to perform their musical parts to their satisfaction, to connect with the audience, and keep their project's name and songs in the fan's memory forever.

Those are different yet complimentary goals, but no project to my knowledge has been able to successfully deliver the holy fusion of DJ'ing and playing live music, while improvising it all! Yes, melodies, textures, and even rhythms were improvised and explored during pieces within a set as a whole. Logic had full scratch and break moments. Steve had space for perfect textures and melody lines. And Freekbass put out flavor and variations while sitting in a big fat pocket. They achieved the perfect measure of success in both DJ'ing and live gigging: the nicely mixed crowd danced for two hours straight and good times were had by all.

I will wrap this up because you get the point -- go see Headtronics, see if you can dig what I'm talking about. I've seen DJ's in bands, and I've seen musicians play over a DJ, but this is both and neither. It's a whole new thang as they say, and it just feels right. It's about time.

ezraz

ps -- much respect to Urban Dance Squad and DJ DNA for blind ambition 23 years ago.

Posted via email from 2M :: REAX

So with all this hopeful optimism (Obamaism?) I have to tell you about 2 new developments. First off the always funky Freekbass has joined forces with 2 others for his first "supergroup side project". Called Headtronics and featuring a killer lineup of Freek on bass, Steve Molitz from Particle on Keys, and DJ Logic on everything else, they are finally playing Ohio next weekend so you know I will have to check that out. Been a big fan of Dub Trio for a bit so I can't wait to see the Headtronics Trio put their shingle out.

On the homefront, The Flux-adel Recording Division (also in the heart of the northside) has been active lately, doing both final mixes on 2new 2merica tracks for Scherzo Elskorpion, and starting preliminary writing on new material with the very talented Dakota "chief" Stonerock.

Finally -- Last summer I was part of my own wannabe supergroup sideproject that managed to write and record a single song before disbanding. The track is called "Stares 2020" and is currently hanging around on the HD waiting for it's parents to work chit out. I hope you readers will get to hear it sometime, it's probably the hardest thing I've ever produced, like way up in your face, you know, HAVE SOME! Production.

Ezzy

Ps Anyone see Roy Ayers sitting in with The Roots on Fallon last night? Hot damn I hope the roots are recording all those commercial break jams that we miss on tv for us to dig on forever after.

Posted via email from 2M :: REAX

Posted via email from 2M :: REAX

"Nightrain" [by Slash, Izzy, Duff & Axl]

Well I'm a west coast struttin' One bad mother
Got a rattlesnake suitcase Under my arm
Said I'm a mean machine Been drinkin' gasoline
And honey you can make my motor hum

I got one chance left In a nine live cat
I got a dog eat dog sly smile
I got a Molotov cocktail With a match to go
I smoke my cigarette with style
An I can tell you honey You can make my money tonight

Wake up late Honey put on your clothes
Take your credit card To the liquor store
That's one for you and Two for me by tonight
I'll be loaded like a freight train
Flyin' like an aeroplane
Feelin' like a space brain One more time tonight

"Elevators (Me & You)" [by Andre & BigBoi]

Got stopped at the mall the other day Heard a call from the other way
that I just came from, some nigga was sayin somethin
talkin bout "Hey man, you remember me from school?" smoke some
Naw not really but he kept smilin like a clown
facial expression lookin silly

And he kept askin me, what kind of car you drive, I know you paid
I know y'all got buku of hoes from all them songs that y'all done made
And I replied that I had been goin through tha same thing that he had
True I got more fans than the average man but not enough loot to last me
to the end of the week, I live by the beat like you live check to check
If you don't move yo' feet then I don't eat, so we like neck to neck
Yes we done come a long way like them Slim ass cigarettes
from Virginia, this ain't gon stop
so we just gonna continue

Posted via email from 2M :: REAX

2007 :: Panfunktual Bonobos :: Alive In the Sugar Triangle
Stretch out your Sensors & Switches & Buttons

2005 :: Half Truth Half Consequence :: We Are Everywhere You Are
The classic debut messtastic masterpiece :: Record Profits?

...Ezzy

Posted via email from 2M :: REAX

Point being the term "decade" and it's intrigue. When freed from it's VH1 confines of loving the 1st integer and ignoring the rest, a decade can prove to be even more interesting. Did music change more from 1980 to 1990 or 1984-1994? Well, that's difficult..... music talk is for arguing. What about your life? Surely no one's life is tied to 0-9 but it can change dramatically in 10 years.

Perhaps we just like grouping things in ways we can handle. We might live 80 years but 80 is too far out there. Tell me 80 phone numbers from memory. 80 books you've read. 80 stories about your cute and hyper-intelligent kid(s). Even our favorite topics don't usually go 80 deep. Nor would you carry general reviews of each of your 80 years with you. See 1983 was different from 1985 in many ways..... yawn..... ok grandpa.

A decade though? Well even the best of us won't see more than 9 of those. More like 5-6 full of memories for most of us, probably only 1-3 so far amongst my readers. So yeah, grouping things in 10 doesn't bother me in the least, I just ask that you consider sliding your start and end points and seeing what you find. I just found this, written about 10 years ago. Prescient, eh?

["Synthesizer Man", words by Andre Benjamin]

synthesizer-
microwave me
give me a drug
so I can make seven babies
pump my breasts up
can you suck the fat up?
please make my life appear
like ain't no such thing as bad luck
my nose ain't right
think I need a new one
just take your pick
a yellow, red, black, or a blue one
virtual reality
virtual bullshit
synthesizer preachers can reach you
up in the pulpit

who a bitch?
give me my gat
so I can smoke this nigga
tell his mamma not to cry
because they can clone him quicker
than it took his daddy to make him
nigga's bitin' verbatim
thought provokin' records
radio never played 'em
instant quick grits, new, improved
hurry hurry, rush rush, world on the move
marijuana illegal but cigarettes cool
I might look kinda funny but ain't no fool

now if you wanna synthesize I empathize...
now if you wanna synthesize I empathize...
but if you synthesize
I will understand
your synthesizer man

2merica presents:
Sensors & Switches & Buttons
The 2nd el-pee.
see and hear it @ http://cdbaby.com/2merica2

Boo-hoo---you can't buy it just yet....
should be in all the digital stores in 3-6 weeks.

YET.... we have a limited number of
custom 2merica box sets
containing both LP's and deluxe packaging
Contact us if you are interested in acquiring
such a rare treat of a product.

Okay, so here's the scoop on this 2nd album:
original codename was 2nd & 10
22 tracks of chaos. Splitsville.
Robots over here, rhythm section over there.

So 10 robots went to 9, 9 splits to 3.
The triangle. Perfectly balanced.
Perfectly prime. Strange new times.
Everybody has to get paid
for the triangle to pay off.

From the beginning of time
we've been fed these lines.

BUTT ANYWAY
Over analyzing our three stages
of production, profit, and consumptions
led to this collection of songs
entitled Sensors&Switches&Buttons
or just something to play with.

Yours truly and jaimes7m are back
along with swifty, yep & jesus too!
Plenty of robot destruction
with new age 8 bit production
Introducing new voice low-cro
some horn blowing from j
and your favorite talking heads
B*N*B*T*F*O